σώφρων (sophron)

Where it lives

Titus 4 · 61.73/10k
Charmides 23 · 27.7/10k
Machabaeorum IV 8 · 10.37/10k
Apology 2 · 10/10k
Nicomachean Ethics 56 · 9.95/10k
Seven Against Thebes 4 · 7.95/10k
Bacchae 5 · 6.65/10k
1 Timothy 1 · 6.31/10k
Alcibiades 1 6 · 5.85/10k
Helen 5 · 5.11/10k
Meno 5 · 5.11/10k
Epinomis 3 · 4.76/10k

Densest 12 of 62 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant

σώφρων · sōphrōn — LSJ

of sound mind, discreet, prudent

of sound mind (from σῶς, φρήν, cf. Pl. Cra. 411e, Arist. EN 1140b11): hence, discreet, prudent, οὐκ ἄν με σαόφρονα μυθήσαιο ἔμμεναι Il. 21.462, cf. Od. 4.158; opp. ἄφρων, Thgn. 431, 454, 497; opp. νήπιος, Id. 483; opp. ἀνόητος, Hdt. 1.4; σώφρονες περὶ θεούς X. Mem. 4.3.2; σωφρονέστατος ἐν τῇ τέχνῃ Hp. Prorrh. 2.2.

2 reasonable

of things, τοῖσι λόγοις σῶφρον ἔπεστιν ἄνθος Ar. Nu. 1025 (lyr.); σ. οἶκτος reasonable compassion, Th. 3.59; -έστατον κήρυγμα Aeschin. 3.4; σώφρονʼ εἶπας E. IA 1024; ἄλλο τι -έστερον γνώσεσθε Th. 5.111; σῶφρόν ἐστι c. inf., Id. 1.42.

II having control over the sensual desires, temperate, self-controlled, chaste

in Att., esp. having control over the sensual desires, temperate, self-controlled, chaste (σώφρων ὁ μετρίας ἐπιθυμίας ἔχων Pl. Def. 415d, cf. σωφροσύνη I), μοι δὸς -εστέραν πολὺ μητρὸς γενέσθαι A. Ch. 140, cf. S. Aj. 132; γυνὴ σ. And. 4.14, cf. S. Fr. 682; σ. καὶ ἐγκρατὴς ἑαυτοῦ Pl. Grg. 491d, cf. 1 Ep.Ti. 3.2, etc.

2 moderate

of things, σ. γνώμη A. Ag. 1664 (troch.); εὐχαί Id. Supp. 710; σ. ὑμέναιοι, λέχη, E. Or. 558, El. 1099; τράπεζα, δίαιτα, Id. Fr. 893 (lyr.), Pl. Ep. 336c; ἀριστοκρατία moderate, Th. 3.82; χάρις ib. 58; βίος Pl. Lg. 733e; φρονεῖν σώφρονα S. Fr. 64.

3

τὸ σῶφρον, = σωφροσύνη, Id. Fr. 786, E. Hipp. 431, Th. 1.37, 3.82; σοῦ τὸ σ. E. Andr. 365, cf. 346, etc.; ἐπὶ τὸ -έστερον λαμβάνειν τι Hdt. 3.71; τὸ -έστατον Th. 3.62; τὰ σώφρονα λάγδην πατεῖται S. Fr. 683.

III cautiously, more moderate

Adv. -όνως A. Th. 645, Eu. 44, Hdt. 4.77; σ. τραφῆναι Ar. Eq. 334 (lyr.); σ. τε καὶ μετρίως Pl. R. 399b; δικαίως πράττοντες καὶ σ. Id. Alc. 1.134d; σ. ἐφέπεσθαι cautiously, X. Ages. 2.3: Comp., -έστερον πολιτεύειν adopt a more moderate constitution, Th. 8.53, cf. 1.84, X. Eq.Mag. 1.14, etc.; but -εστέρως E. IA 379 (troch.): Sup. -έστατα Isoc. 7.13, Pl. Lg. 728e.

In the wild

σώφρονος · sōphronos Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1662–1665
σώφρονʼ · sōphronʼ Aeschylus, Agamemnon 351
σώφροσιν · sōphrosin Aeschylus, Eumenides 136
σωφρόνως · sōphronōs Aeschylus, Eumenides 40–44
σώφρονʼ · sōphronʼ Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 783–786
σωφρονεστέραν · sōphronesteran Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 140–141

6 of 360 attestations shown. Ask for more.

Where it came from

No etymology authority pointer is recorded for this lemma yet — an honest gap, not an omission. The etymological dictionaries (Beekes, Chantraine, Frisk) are matched incrementally.

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